A “concerned citizen" is offering half a million pesos to anyone who can shed light on last week’s abduction and killing of Emerson Lozano, son of Marcos lawyer Oliver Lozano, and his driver, police said Tuesday.
“A concerned citizen offered P500,000 reward for the early resolution of this case," said Police Chief Superintendent Benito Estipona at a press conference.
Estipona, head of the police task force formed to solve Lozano’s killing, did not identify the person offering the reward.
He said the task force is following at least two leads in the case. He did not elaborate.
Lozano, a used car dealer, and driver Ernane Sensil were last seen Wednesday night meeting a prospective buyer in Quezon City. Their charred bodies, both with gunshot wounds in the head, were separately found in Central Luzon days later — Lozano in Pampanga, Sensil in Tarlac.
Another car dealer, Venson Evangelista, also went missing last week and was found dead in Nueva Ecija. Like Lozano and Sensil, Evangelista’s remains were also burnt and had a gunshot wound in the head. He also disappeared while accompanying a prospective buyer for a test drive.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has already flashed a nationwide alarm for the victims’ vehicles: Lozano’s 2008 Kia Carnival and Evangelista’s Toyota Land Cruiser.
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Also in the day, Oliver Lozano went to the Department of Justice (DOJ) office in Manila to discuss the ongoing investigation into his son’s killing. Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III met with him on behalf of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who was unavailable.
The National Bureau of Investigation, which is conducting a parallel investigation into the Lozano killing, is an attached agency of the DOJ.
The elder Lozano quoted Baraan as saying that the DOJ, through the NBI, will expedite the identification of the killers of his son and his son’s driver.
“He gave the assurance that they will do their best in helping expedite the solution of this case," he told reporters.
He said one more witness had surfaced to help the police trace the killers. “As of now, dalawa pa lang (we have two witnesses already)," Lozano said.
Artist's sketches
Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, head of the Quezon City Police District, said they have released artist’s sketches of the two suspects in the Evangelista killing.
He said one suspect, who posed as a mechanic, was around 40 years old, has a slim built, brown complexion, and about 5' 5" in height. He said the second suspect was described by the witness as “gay," around 30 years old, and was about 5’9" in height.
“According to the witnesses, mayroon isang gay, who introduced himself as Allan Torres, and then mayroon siyang mekaniko na pinagbigyang mag-test drive sa Barangay Pinagkaisahan in Quezon City," said Mantele.
Looking for connection
PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo said a single carjacking gang may have been behind both cases.
Interviewed by radio dzRH on Tuesday, Bacalzo said this is now one of the main theories they are pursuing.
“Nagtutugma po ang ating investigation doon sa dalawang incident sa Quezon City, ay maaring isang grupo lamang ito o magkakonektang grupong ito. Yan ang tinitingnan natin sa ating investigation task group," he said.
(From what we have learned from the two incidents in Quezon City so far, these may be the handiwork of only one gang — or a network of gangs.)
He also said he and PNP Highway Patrol Group head Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina are treating this as a new modus operandi of carjacking syndicates.
“Pinag-aaralan namin ni Gen. Espina na ito ay bagong estilo ng pag-carnap (Gen. Espina and I are looking at this as a possible new modus operandi of carjackers)," Bacalzo said. - with Sophia Dedace/KBK,
